Trayvon: Why I don't care

The title is a little harsh. A person was killed, this is both sad and something we should all want to prevent from ever happening. However, in contrast with the DOMA case, the Trayvon case has little or no bearing on the operation of this country or even the history of it. Simply, a white man, with neighborhood watch responsibilities, believed a young black man to be suspicious. The white guy confronted the black kid, a struggle ensued, and the white guy shot and killed the black kid. This probably happens 200 times a year, maybe more. Does that make it ok? No. Does it prevent it from being national news? I would think so. Not only was this national news, but Pres Obama used it to both enhance his candidacy during the election and to further his agenda once in office.

First of all, was Zimmerman right to shoot Trayvon? According to a Jury of his peers, yes. According to common sense, I don't know I wasn't in that position. Does he have the right to protect himself? Yes. Should he? Yes. Should Trayvon have had the right to protect himself too? Of course. Protection is inherently defensive. The bloodthirsty and expansionist try to soothe their consciences by declaring offensive provocations are "protection." That being said, the potential for offensive military action, from the national to the personal, does not preclude or exclude the use of that potential for defensive action. In other words, just because Z had a gun doesn't mean he confronted T with the intention of shooting him. But enough about the actual case, as I said, I don't care.

What I do care about, is the message being sent. I tweeted a week or so ago that I was getting mixed signals. The media was pushing three separate, and non-congruent narratives each with their own nasty little agendas. The first was GUN CONTROL. If he hadn't had a gun, they might have beat each other up but then we could ask them both how it started, we could sort it out, and nobody would have died! Maybe, or quite possibly, the suspicious person could've been illegally carrying a weapon and the citizen who had signed up for protective responsibility would've been helpless. We probably would've missed that court case.

The second was RACE. Obama fueled this, I can't decide if it was intentional, but it hardly matters now. Look, if a white guy accosts me, and I feel threatened, I'm going to protect myself to the same degree I would if an Asian, black man, Arab or Canadian was accosting me. This is/should be true for anyone. However, maybe Z is a racist. Maybe Z was singling out T because he was black. THIS IS NOT A CRIME. This cannot be a crime. Crimes of the mind are 1) impossible to prove 2) impossible to enforce and 3) impossible to define. Hatred cannot be contested with more hatred. Some really intelligent men gave some great speeches on this topic about 60 years ago. They happened to be black.

The third was CORRUPT/INEPT JUSTICE SYSTEM. Really? This made me chuckle. The media, who was literally leading the anti-Z rallies and calling for his head on a platter, made sure the public would be devoid of any moral dilemma when the jury "got it wrong." Of course they'll get it wrong. They're primarily white, they're primarily in favor of guns, they're primarily X, Y, Z. The jury is handcuffed by bad laws. The jury is desensitized to violence. Blah blah blah. If you don't like it, move to a country where a cop decides he wants your car so he pulls you over and impounds it. Move to a country where the primary income for law enforcement is bribery from organized crime. Move to a country that is dependent on traveling judges, thinking more about their chances to gain political power than anything resembling justice. The jury system is obviously flawed, anything that relies on human reasoning will be. However, until we create the positronic (really Internet? this is a word) brain we have to rely on our own. The jury system is the most advanced and the most successful justice system humanity has ever seen. Stop whining that you didn't get your way.

In conclusion. I don't care, and neither should you.

Happy anniversary to my parents. Yesterday they celebrated 29 years. I hope to do that, though I'd hate to be that old. :)

Thursday I'll preview the SS lessons my dad has asked my to cover the following 2 Sundays. I find if I write about something I'll be more comfortable talking about it.

Braves have been as inconsistent as ever, dropping 2 of 3 from the White Sox and losing Maholm to the DL in the process. We did get the Mets last night though with 2 in the 9th to win 2-1. We called up Kameron Loe as well. I hate Kameron Loe, so I'm rooting for him to change my mind, but he's going to have to do pretty well to have a chance. Also. Braun has been suspended 100 games. If Selig is really all about ending steroid use, Braun's massive contract should be voided and the Brewers should either be given salary relief from the league for cutting him or be charged double for keeping him. The league needs to make the organizations who continue to hire the cheaters pay too. It hasn't happened yet, but I'm already thickening my skin for the first Brave to get caught. Some minor leaguers have but no pros as of yet. 3 more against the Mets and then a killer series against the All-World St Louis Cardinals. NLCS preview?